Can the 49ers depend on rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling?
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Late in Tuesday's joint practice against the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy dropped back, turned his eyes to the middle of the field and let it rip.
At first blush, the ball flew directly toward a trio of Titans defenders ready to intercept it. Suddenly, Niners rookie receiverDe'Zhaun Striblingburst through the congestion, snatched the pass in stride, and raced downfield for what would have been a long touchdown.
While the 49ers expect Purdy to connect on such throws, the fact that he was willing to cut it loose for Stribling spoke volumes about how far the rookie has come in 11 training camp practices.
"He's a really smart dude," Purdy said. "He gets the game of football. Sometimes guys come in, they're talented and stuff, but to understand the speed of the NFL and how defenses operate in the NFL, it can be hard for guys to sort of get with it quick. Eventually, they get there, but Strib has been a guy that has come in and has shown he understands it ... It is preseason and everything, so we'll see once we get to the season, but right now I have a lot of trust in him."
That understanding has transformed Stribling from an intriguing Day 2 draft pick into a necessity. A brief, three-day bout with hamstring tightness aside, he has provided a lifeline to a depleted receivers room that lostRicky Pearsallto a season-ending knee surgery. And in San Francisco's preseason opener against Tennessee, he led the team with seven receptions for 62 yards.He's the first rookie in the past decade with seven or more receptions in the first half of his team's first preseason game, per ESPN Research.
"It seemed good," said coach Kyle Shanahan about Stribling's debut. "I thought he struggled a little bit on the first drive, but I think he got three drives after that. It seemed like he executed all the stuff that went to him, and I liked how his hands looked out there and played physical."
Stribling's arrival in Santa Clara raised eyebrows among NFL draft pundits when he was taken at No. 33 with the 49ers' first selection of the draft after trading down twice to get out of Round 1. He ranked No. 15 at WR in ESPN's prospect rankingsbut wasthe sixth one off the board.
The 49ers' brass felt that Stribling's physical blueprint was something the team lacked: boundary size blended with legitimate vertical speed. At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, he is big enough to block defenders of all sizes in the run game and make plays over the middle of the field. His 4.36-second 40-yard dash (eighth fastest out of all receivers at the NFL combine) also allows him to take the top off the defense.
Backup quarterback Mac Jonesborrowed a nickname from longtime MLB outfielder Shane Victorino to describe that speed.
"I call him the 'Flyin' Hawaiian' because he's so fast," Jones said. "He has like a second gear when the ball's in the air. Some guys are really fast, but when the ball goes up and your eyes go up, you slow down, but he doesn't do that, so it's pretty impressive."
Since Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017, the 49ers have drafted 14 wide receivers. Of those, only Jalen Hurd and Jauan Jennings stood taller. Only Hurd, Jennings, andDeebo Samuel Sr.weighed more than Stribling. And onlyDanny Gray (4.33 seconds) ran a faster 40-yard dash in the predraft process.
Although every team wants the biggest and fastest receivers possible, the Niners made it a point of emphasis to get one this year amid another makeover of the receivers room.
"That's the thing when you look at receivers, usually you're going to get a guy who's maybe big and physical, but he doesn't have the speed," receivers coach Leonard Hankerson said. "... It's rare to get a guy like Strib that has everything. Big, strong, physical, and he can run."
But physical abilities alone don't get receivers on the field early in Shanahan's system. The team has long shied away from plugging any of its young wideouts into one position, instead asking them to learn all three spots (F, X or Z) before deciding where to put them. That workload can faze some players, but coaches and teammates have saidStribling isn't bothered.
The strong impression he left on the team was a result of the routine Stribling developed after the offseason program. Along with the studying film each day, he would say every playcall out loud or have someone recite it to him. Then, he would write it down or draw the play out so he could visualize it.
Stribling would go through the playbook repeatedly, occasionally asking his mother or his girlfriend to quiz him or call out plays. He even joined fellow wideout Jordan Watkins for throwing sessions with Purdy and Jones in Nashville prior to training camp.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Stribling's football acumen was "one of the reasons why we really love him," adding that Stribling "absorbs football naturally." Although learning all three positions for that many plays could be confusing, Stribling viewed it as an advantage.
"Playing a bunch of the spots allows me to see the full picture of the play, not just focusing on one spot," Stribling said. "If I know the whole concept, I kind of know what I have to do at either F, X or Z. I feel like I'm very confident wherever I'm at."
The question now is where, exactly, Stribling will fit in.
In stops at Washington State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss, Stribling did a little bit of everything. He ran most of his 1,744 routes across three collegiate seasons from the outside (1,358), followed by 372 routes from the slot. He even ran 10 routes as an in-line tight end and four more out of the backfield.
As it stands with the 49ers, free agent signingMike Evans will be the "X" receiver -- a spot Stribling might one day inherit. Pearsall was supposed to be the "Z," but his injury leaves that spot open. Hankerson indicated that, for now, Stribling projects more to the "F" -- or slot -- position that Jennings previously filled.
Hankerson added there "may come a time and point" that Stribling could play the "Z." Of his 15 routes Thursday night, Stribling ran 10 from the slot and five from the outside.
Regardless of where Stribling lines up, he is on track to be one of San Francisco's top receivers right away so long as he continues to pile up productive practices and performances in the last two preseason games.
"We need to get him ready to play an NFL game, and it takes awhile for rookies to do that," Shanahan said. "That's why a lot aren't ready for Week 1 ... I think each day he's got better and better. Hopefully he doesn't have any injuries, so he can continue getting those days in for Week 1, and if he does, feel real confident about him."br/]
